About Dallas Cup

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The Dallas Cup is an annual invitational soccer tournament for youth teams. Held in Dallas, Texas, and hosted by FC Dallas, the competition welcomes clubs from around the world. The tournament features both boys' and girls' divisions, with the boys' categories ranging from U-12 to U-19, and the girls' divisions spanning U-15 to U-19.

Founded in 1980, the Dallas Cup has taken place at various venues throughout its history, including the Cotton Bowl and Toyota Stadium. In 1990, an elite U-19 Super Group was established, attracting renowned teams that have included English clubs such as Everton, West Ham, and Fulham, as well as Mexican teams like Pumas UNAM and Tigres UANL. Other iconic clubs that have competed in this division include Real Madrid, São Paulo, and Liverpool.

Real Madrid won the Supergroup U-19 in back-to-back years in 1993 and 1994. The next European side to triumph following the Spanish outfit was Nottingham Forest in 2002, with Brazilian clubs mostly dominating during this period. In 2011, two separate teams shared the podium and they were Eintracht Frankfurt and Tigres UANL.

Numerous well-known players have participated in the Dallas Cup over the years. Notable names include David Beckham, Michael Bradley, Wayne Rooney, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Rafael Márquez, among others.